INTRODUCTION
The beginning and end of Yoshiwara
INTRODUCTION
A story in 1612 of Jin’emon, a brothel keeper demonstrates the establishment of Yoshiwara and official brothel quarters. Jin’emon requested the Tokugawa shogunate to recognize his business and grant him a plot of land for his brothel. The request was carefully curated to appeal to the shogunate’s political and social orders. Firstly, the growing castle town surrounding his business was becoming a male dominated area which increased and created demand for sexual services. With that being said, Jin’emon argued in his petition that unregulated sex would lead to various issues such as the errupition of violence by samurais and the kidnappings of young girls from “good families”. Additionally, the institutionalization of these newly built “pleasure quarters” would allow the brothel keepers to keep track of customers' activity and any other suspicious activity. This kind of petition was previously done during 1589 by two masterless samurai, which led to the acquisition of land.
In 1617, the government granted Jin’emon, a plot of land in the outskirts of the city. While this was not what he had expected, the brothel keepers began to get ready for a new life in a location which became “Yoshiwara”, “Reed Plain”. The creation of Yoshiwara was done relatively fast with the implementation of four streets with brothels and tea houses. Yoshiwara was surrounded with plaster walls and a moat and with only one main entrance, famously known as the Great Gate which would be constantly guarded. Yoshiwara officially opened in 1618 after undergoing construction. It was originally located in the eastern side of Nihonbashi Fukiyacho, and in 1656 it was relocated, however with the Great Fireof Meireki the following year, it was relocated to Asakusa Senzokumura.
The creation of Yoshiwara marked a new era for Edo as it led to a new categorization of women as “prostitutes” (yūjo). The previous ambiguity of prostitution and the sex trade, more specifically, those who were considered prostitutes and those who were not was clearly established with the creation of Yoshiwara. These females would be separated and isolated from the rest of the female population.
Shin-Yoshiwara, the new Yoshiwara built near Asakusa-ji after the previous one fell from a large fire, was twice the size of Moto-Yoshiwara. The land was 18 acres, and was surrounded by a moat and fences. There was one entrance, the oomon where watchmen stood to watch out for the people coming in and out. When the gates were closed, no one was allowed in or out.
From the oomon down the center of the stite was nakano-cho (中之町) and the entire land was separated into six cho: Edo-cho (it-cho-me and ni-cho-me), Sumi-cho, Ageya-cho and Kyo-machi (it-cho-me and ni-cho-me). High-class large scale brothels called Omagaki (Yokoyama, 2016, p.164) were located in Edo-cho it-cho-me, alongside the main street. The smaller ranking brothels, Kogushi, were located in Edo-cho ni-cho-me, Ageya-cho and Sumi-cho. The lowest ranking brothels, Tsubone, was located in Kyo-machi-ni-cho-me.
Basic Geographical Features of Yoshiwara
Mikaeri-yanagi
Mikaeri yanagi is located near the entrance of Shin-Yoshiwara. The name, “mikaeri” meaning “gazing back” came from the fact that when customers left the pleasure district, they would often look back as they walked passed the willow tree with reluctance. The tree is still standing today, in Tokyo Taito-ku.
昇斎一景 版画「東京三十六景」/六 （吉原見返り柳）
Yoshiwara Shrine
Shin-Yoshiwara had four inari-shines on the four corners of the site. Enomoto inari at Edo-cho ni-cho-me, Kai-un inari at Kyo-machi it-cho-me, Kurosuke inari at Kyo-machi ni-cho-me and Akashi inari at Edo-cho ni-cho-me. However, these four shrines were combined into one as Yoshiwara Shrine.
Nagekomi-dera (投込寺）
Yujos were buried at the nagekomi-dera, also known as jyokanji（浄閑寺）. Negakomi-dera was a common graveyard for those who had no family members or acquaintancesto carry out their burials and care for them after death. There were no funerals for yujos, and their ashes were simply thrown into a pit dug in front of the temple.
A death of a yujo was due to several reasons, such as death by illness, suicide, execution. Because the pleasure district had its own autonomy and was separated from the rest of the world, the deaths of the yujos are often unclear.
View of Yoshiwara
The view of Yoshiwara shows harimise on both sides of the Nakanochō main street. The mikaeri yanagi, or “looking-back willow,” is said to have taken its name from the wistful backward glances of men leaving the pleasure district. Tōto Shin-Yoshiwara ichiran (View of Shin-Yoshiwara in the Eastern Capital) by Hiroshige II. (Courtesy Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library)
The End of Yoshiwara
The end of Yoshiwara can be said to be during the 20th century after the two world wars as it left Yoshiwara a run down place with none of the glamor and elegance it was known for. The Shinto, Buddha, and missionary Christian codes were becoming lost during this time. Finally, in 1956, all brothels in the country were ordered to close.
